Vrijdag 10 Augustus 2018

In the exhibition Structures of Identity, Foam presents a selection of photographic works from The Walther Collection. Structures of Identity examines how photographers have used portraiture to affirm or challenge social stereotypes constructed around notions of race, gender, class, and nationality. Iconic works by photographers including August Sander, Richard Avedon and J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere are combined with the work of contemporary photographers such as Yto Barrada, Samuel Fosso, Zanele Muholi and Guy Tillim (both from South Africa). Works of vernacular photography, from a range of cultures and historical periods, are also on view. Photographic portraits are more than mementoes of friends and family. They are markers of social identity. Reflecting on the ways that portrait photography has been deployed, Structures of Identity visualises the political and cultural factors that shape individual and collective subjectivities, with a particular focus on the relation between self-representation and social identity.

45 pictures by photographers Jürgen Schadeberg (Germany/South Africa) and Louise Gubb (South Africa). Schadeberg featured Mandela in the 50s and 60s when he was working for Drum, an iconic anti-apartheid weekly, as well as in 1994 when the photographer accompanied Mandela to a visit to his former prison cell on Robben Island. As a press photographer Gubb featured Mandela after his release from prison and during his presidency (1994 – 1999).

The exhibition is an initiave by the Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V.

This exhibition explores the life and times of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918 – 2013) and marks the centenary of his birth. It provides insight into Mandela’s journey from young freedom fighter to becoming the inspiration for an international movement against South Africa’s violent and oppressive apartheid system, and an emblem of an ongoing struggle to build a more just and equitable world.

Artworks MandelaAs part of the 2018 Nelson Mandela Day and Nelson Mandela’s centenary, the UMURAGE Foundation is pleased to present 'We Are The Legacy: Celebrating Nelson Mandela Centenary 2018'. The art exhibition will feature portraits of 100 African legacy makers who, in their own unique way, embody Nelson Mandela’s three key principles – to free yourself, free others and serve every day – and 100 artworks from across the motherland. Featured artists are coming from : Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Brazaville, Congo DRC, France, Madagascar, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Tchad, Malawi, Togo and Zambia. The UMURAGE Foundation is an international non-profit organisation, head-quartered in Amsterdam, which aims at promoting, supporting, connecting, recognizing and rewarding individuals, organizations, businesses and communities shaping Africa’s collective legacy. Its vision is a world embracing and celebrating Africa’s contributions to humanity’s collective legacy.

The upgraded Tata Madiba exhibition content and objects are meant to stimulate conversation about his life, struggles and extraordinary contribution to protection of South Africa’s rich biodiversity; but also connect to contemporary issues around conservation and sustainability. The exhibition also includes the many species named after him and those he and his fellow prisoners may have encountered on Robben Island. The exhibition includes as its central piece the iMadiba Project which is a participatory art project conceptualized and created by artist and photographer Erhardt Thiel. It is endorsed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation The intention of the installation or micro museum is to facilitate dialogue, memory, reflection and forward thinking. The combination of the Tata Madiba exhibition and the iMadiba Project art installation is therefore an apt marriage to celebrate the centenary of this great statesman Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.